Posted by Marmite on April 7, 2012 · Comments Off on Cop’s BNP shame is new blow to racism row Met. Squad buy badges from right-wing activist

Ex-BNP organiser ... Martin Roberts

An elite cop had been carpeted last night after buying police badges from a notorious BNP activist.

The officer ordered branded Metropolitan Police ID tags from a firm belonging to Martin Roberts — who has links to Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. Roberts, an ex-organiser of the far-right BNP, boasted on Facebook: “Another happy customer. The Met Police. Thank you.”He even posted a picture of the tags for an SO20 counter-terrorism chemical, nuclear and biological search team — complete with a logo of a Saxon warrior.

Scotland Yard insisted last night that the order was not paid for out of official police funds — and the badges were not intended to be worn on duty.

The officer responsible also did not know that Roberts owned the company, Calder Designs.

But the incident will infuriate chiefs as the London force faces a growing race storm. Twenty officers and one civilian worker are under investigation over alleged racist incidents.

Roberts, of Potter Heigham, Norfolk, was once exposed for selling badges bearing the names of far-right groups Combat 18 and Blood & Honour.

The Sun revealed last July that Roberts, in his 40s, was one of 1,000 people sent a warped “manifesto” by Breivik an hour before his massacre, which left 76 dead.

The Met refused to say whether the order was placed using a police email account. It said the matter was being dealt with as “a local management issue”.

A spokesman added: “The officer who placed the order has been spoken to. It is understood staff paid for the merchandise themselves. It is not intended to be worn while on duty.”